Lamp holder for tubular electric lamps with axially projecting contacts



Dec. 23, 1952 AXBERG 2,623,088

LAMP HOLDER FOR TUBULAR ELECTRIC LAMPS WITH AXIALLY PROJECTING"CONTACTS Filed April 21, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l FlG.1 FIG.3

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INVENTOR. GUNNAR FRIDOLF AXBERG ATTORNEY Deg-'23, 1952 BE 2,623,088

LAMP HOLDER FQR TUBULAR ELECTRIC LAMPS WITH AXIALLY PROJECTING CONTACTS 2 SHEETS-SI-IEET 2 Filed April 21, 1948 FIG. 5 FIG.6

INVENTOR. GUNNAR FRIDOLF AXBERG BY ZI MAA ATTORNEY FIG. 8

Patented Dec. 23, 1952 LAMP HOLDER. FOR TUBULAR ELECTRIC LAIVIPS WITH AXIALLY PROJECTING CONTACTS Gunnar Fridolf Axberg, Enskede, Sweden, as-

signor to Lumalampan Aktiebolag, Stockholm, Sweden, a corporation of Sweden Application April 21, 1948, Serial No. 22,458 In Norway March 16, 1948 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a lamp holder for tubular electric lamps with axially projecting contact prongs.

The object of the invention is to provide a holder construction the separate elements of which are easily assembled and interlocking themselves without any further locking or fastening means thus bringing about a simplified manner to manufacture such devices.

In carrying out the invention two oppositely disposed spring contact members are mounted on a carrier in an insulating housing moulded into an integral piece and forming a cavity. A rotatable support for the tube prongs or the like is mounted between the contact springs in the housing. As known heretofore the support is provided with a transverse groove and one edge of the housing is provided with an entrance groove to guide the prongs into the open circuit position. According to the this support is inserted through a circular opening in a face of the housing and provided with end flanges of which the outer flange is adapted to fill in the opening of the housing. The waist portion of the support has a length equal to the width of the contact springs to prevent axial displacement of the support. The support being pivo-tally supported within the opening of the housing thus serves as sole implement to interlock the housing and the inserted contact spring carrier in cooperation with these springs anchored into the carrier.

A number of important details of construction will be more fully described hereinafter.

Fig. 1 is a front view in section of a lamp holder embodying one form of the invention, the support being shown in the open circuit position.

Fig. 2 is a part of a further front view showing the support in the closed circuit position.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view, the support being shown in the position for the lamp base insertion.

Fig. 4 is an end view of the lamp holder.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the holder housing.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the contact spring carrier with the contact springs anchored in recesses into the carrier.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the support.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the lamp holder partially assembled and the mode of assembly.

The housing 8 has a widened base section 24 at the side facing the lamp and is moulded of insulating material into an integral piece. Inside of the housing is a cavity or chamber 9 open at the base of the housing. Through this base opening I is inserted a. carrier body 2 moulded of insulating material and supporting invention two contact spring members [0, Iii.

Two projections 6, 6 are disposed on the carrier 2 resting against suitable projections 25, 25 formed into the widened base part 24 of the housing. The latter projections are provided with downward openings 23, 23 for screws to fasten the lamp holder on the lamp fitting or the like.

Each spring contact member It], It consists of a metal strip the foot end of which is rolled up into a tubular sleeve 4 and through the sleeve wall is threaded a clamp screw 3 for fastening a lead-in wire. By means of these sleeve portions 4, 4 the contact springs til, Hi are anchored in recesses I, 1 into the carrier body, said recesses being formed adequately to the shape of said end portions of the strips and opened downwards for the clamping of the screws 3, 3. Between the two springs Hi, I!) the carrier body forms a boss portion 28 which separates the two springs.

The base part of the housing is provided with two "knock outs 22, 22 for enabling supply conductors to be inserted from the front or the back end of the holder, the bottom of the carrier body 2 being provided with a groove 5 for the conductors inserted from the back of the holder.

The supporting member 29 has two end flanges I5, 28 of which the outer one 28 is rotatably mounted in a circular opening 21 in the front of the housing 8. The length of the waist portion 14 of the support is equal to the width of the spring contact strips it, Ill whereby the axial displacement of the support 29 when introduced through the opening 21 and mounted between the contact springs It, In is prevented. The width of the spring contact carrier 2 corresponds to the inner Width of the main portion of the housing 8 and is thereby securely rested within the housing. The waist portion M of the support 29 is provided with conventional projections I 2, I2 oppositely disposed and the contact springs are provided with corresponding pocket portions [3, [3. The support thus will serve as a suitable implement to interlock the housing and the carrier body by means of the contact springs anchored into the carrier. At the assemblage of the elements composing the lamp holder the sup-port is introduced through the front opening of the housing and the carrier is inserted into the base opening of the cavity of the housing. When the con-tact springs with their pocket portions resiliently embrace the waist section of the support all elements are sufficiently interlocked so that no further means are necessary for fastening them together. This arrangement substantially simplifies the manufacturing of the lamp holder.

The front part of the support 29 is provided with a conventional groove [3 in a plane intersecting that of its projections l2, l2 and adapted to receive the prongs I l, l i of the lamp tube it or other device which is supported by the holder. The housing is provided too with a conventional entrance groove i! leading to the groove in the rotatable support.

In Fig. l the lamp tube is shown with its contact prongs l I, l I inserted before rotating of the tube and the support; the projections of the support are clamped by the contact springs and rested in their pocket portions. In Fig. 2 the tube is shown as when rotated and the contact spring pockets gripping the prongs of the tube. In all positions the contact springs will prevent the axial displacement of the support.

To further secure the position of the support a rear wall prolongation 2! of the carrier body 2 may be provided as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. This wall 2| is rested on the rear inside 26 of the cavity 9 in the housing and is provided with a circular opening I!) corresponding to the inner flange I OI" the support 29.

Alternatively or in combination with this construction the inner flange it of the support can be provided with a cylindrical boss 38 adapted to be supported in a corresponding recess 3| in the inside wall 25 of the housing opposit to the front opening El of the same.

As shown in Fig. 8, the lamp holder of this invention is assembled by partially inserting the support 29 into the housing 8 through the aperture 2'! with the flang i5 of-the holder 29 positioned within the interior of the housing 8. At this time the carrier 2 is inserted lengthwise into the housing with the spring contact fingers i6 engaging the flange E5 on the support 29. The carrier 2 is moved inwardly of the housing 8 until the aperture is in the rear wall 2| of the carrier 2 is in axial alignment with the aperture 27 in the housing 8. At this time the contact fingers it will embrace the flange l5 of the support 29 and such support may be moved axially until the boss 30 is disposed in the recess 3| in the rear wall of the housing 8, at which time the flange IE will be disposed in the aperture [9 in the wall 2| of the carrier 2 and the spring contact fingers 13 will snap into the reduced portion 52 between the flanges i5 and 23 on the support 29, thus securing the parts of the lamp holder together. If desired, suitable jigs and fixtures may be utilized in the assembly operation, but such jigs or fixtures are not necessary since the parts may be assembled by purely hand manipulative operations. As a result of the structure of the lamp holder of this invention and the assembling process above described, it will be seen that all of the parts of the lamp holder are retained in assembled position merely by the resilient engagement of the spring contact fingers It] in the reduced portion I2 between the flanges l5 .and 28 on the support 28.

From the above description, it is evident that holder construction composed of elements which the invention has provided an improved lamp are easily assembled into a permanently interflxed structure without use of any additional means for their fastening together, the elements necessary to construct a lamp holder for the purpose specified solely interlocking themselves into such assembled permanent structure.

What I claim is:

1. A holder for tubular electric lamps with axially projecting contact prongs comprising a one-piece elongated hollow housing open at one end, a carrier disposed in said housing, resilient elongated contacts secured to said carrier within said housing and terminating adjacent the end opposite said open end, a substantially circular aperture in one wall of said housing, said carrier having a portion extending along an opposite wall of said housing toward the end opposite said open end, a substantially circular aperture in said portion of said carrier and in axial alignment with said first-mentioned aperture, a slot in the end Wall of said housing opposite said open end and communicating with said apertures, a lamp supporting member having flanges adjacent opposite ends rotatably mounted in said apertures and a reduced intermediate portion formed by said flanges, a recess formed in the wall of said holder opposite said first mentioned aperture, the flange at one end of said supporting member having a cylindrical boss rotatably mounted in said recess, a diametrically disposed groove in the opposite end portion of said supporting member for receiving said prongs, said contacts partially embracing said reduced intermediate portion between said flanges, the engagement between said housing, carrier, and supporting member serving to retain the holder in assembled relationship,

2. A holder for tubular electric lamps with axially projecting contact prongs comprising a onepiece elongated hollow housing open at one end, a carrier disposed in said housing, resilient elongated contacts secured to said carrier within said housing and terminating adjacent the end opposite said open end, a substantially circular aperture in one wall of said housing, said carrier having a portion extending along an opposite wall of said housing toward the end opposite said open end, a substantially circular aperture in said portion of said carrier and in axial alignment with said first-mentioned aperture, a slot in the end wall of said housing opposite said open end and communicating with said apertures, a lamp supporting member having flanges adjacent opposite ends rotatably mounted in said apertures and a reduced intermediate portion formed by said flanges, a diametrically disposed groove in one end portion of said supporting member for receiving said prongs, said contacts partially embracing said reduced intermediate portion between said end fianges, the engagement between said housing, carrier, and supporting member serving to retain the holder in assembled relationship.

GUNNAR FRIDOLF AXBERG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,238,152 Alden Apr. 15, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 541,556 Great Britain Dec. 2, 1941 591,676 Great Britain Aug. 26, 1947 

